A Category 4 hurricane is heading toward Washington. So are the Cubs. Here are 5 things to know about Thursday’s makeup game.

Cubs President Theo Epstein discusses the recent weather complications surrounding the team's games in Washington and how the forecast might affect the Cubs in the near future. (Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune)

Cubs President Theo Epstein discusses the recent weather complications surrounding the team's games in Washington and how the forecast might affect the Cubs in the near future. (Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune)

Here are five things to know about why the decision was made and where it stands.

1. Rain men

After a weekend series in Washington that included nearly 11 hours of rain delays, MLB postponed Sunday’s Cubs-Nationals game and rescheduled it for Thursday — the only common off day for both teams until the end of the season. The Cubs would have preferred to have it scheduled for Oct. 1, the day after the regular season, with the understanding that it wouldn’t be played if it had no implications on any National League races or for the league’s best record. MLB preferred the game to be played before, because Oct. 1 is the day reserved for playoff tiebreakers. The NL wild-card game is scheduled for Oct. 2, and if the Cubs and Nationals were to play on Oct. 1, the wild-card game likely would have to be pushed back a day to allow for travel.

2. “Extremely dangerous”

Hurricane Florence is on path to hit the East Coast as a Category 4 storm on Thursday and projected to land in North or South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center has called the storm “extremely dangerous,” and more than 1.5 million people have been ordered to evacuate coastal areas. The Cubs-Nationals game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. The game was not scheduled earlier because both teams play night games on the road Wednesday. There currently is a 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms for the Washington area Thursday. The possibility of the Cubs and Nationals waiting out more rain delays exists, though in a best-case scenario they’d get the game in and get out of town before the hurricane moves north. Still, the optics of shoehorning a baseball game in while a hurricane approaches is not good for MLB.

3. MLB’s call

The Cubs and Nationals have no say in whether the game will be played. Cubs President Theo Epstein said “our voices have certainly been heard, but we don’t have any control.”

Thursday was supposed to be Cubs’ first day off after a 23-day stretch, but now the stretch will be extended to 30 days thanks to the makeup game. The decision is in the hands of MLB, which already made one big mistake Friday by allowing the Cubs-Nationals game to begin during a brief lull in the rain. The game was delayed in the second inning and eventually postponed, meaning both teams’ starters were lost. After pitching one inning Friday, Cubs ace Jon Lester came back Monday night against the Brewers on two days of rest and was removed with back tightness in the sixth inning.

4. No Plan B

There have been no discussions yet on moving the game to another venue, as has been done in the past, including twice last year with the Marlins and Astros because of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, respectively. The Nationals don’t want to lose a home gate, and MLB doesn’t want the Cubs to gain any home-field advantage, which would be unfair to the other contenders in the NL Central race (Brewers and Cardinals), the wild-card race (Brewers, Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Phillies and Rockies) or the race for best record in the league. The Cubs lead the Brewers by one game in the NL Central and for the best record in the league. The team with the best record gets home-field advantage in the five-game NL Division Series and seven-game NL Championship Series.

5. City ordinance

Epstein said “common sense will prevail,” which suggests the makeup game will be canceled or postponed until Oct. 1. But if the game is played Thursday, the Cubs will fly home that night and play a 1:20 p.m. game Friday against the Reds. The team could ask MLB for permission to change that game to a later start time, as they did last year when switching a Friday afternoon game against the Brewers to Friday night. If it were changed to a night game, the Cubs would also need the city’s permission because of the ordinance prohibiting Friday night games at Wrigley Field. The Cubs received what was called a “one-time exemption” to the ordinance by Mayor Rahm Emanuel last Sept. 8. The Cubs played the night before in Pittsburgh and Emanuel agreed they needed more rest. So he and Ald. Tom Tunney would have to agree to a time change, along with MLB. Crane Kenney told the Score on Tuesday that the team has talked to city officials about changing the time of Friday’s game, but it would be a moot point if Thursday’s game in Washington is not played.